Who do you play with?

[Ilwan]

Who do you play Fantasy Grounds with?

[gurney9999]

I haven't had time to play much yet, but the games I have run have been with people I've met here and and the AD site.

[richvalle]

Some all too short games with gurney and, now, my RL friends.

[kalmarjan]

Didn't know anyone before I started RTTTOEE. Since then, there has been a total of 53 people interested in the campaign, with a core group of 6-7 players.

Hats off to those guys!

Cheers,

Sandeman

[Crusader]

Real life friends here.

[kepli]

Mostly people I know from the Dundjinni site, but lately more people from the AD site too ...

[Alkaven]

It's absolutely ridiculous how hard it is to find a group on here. Almost NOBODY is interested in playing in my adventures. At most two people. And I've put so much work into building it, it feels like the $40 for this application has gone down the toilet. Maps, history, NPCs... All of it shelved.

[Ilwan]

It's absolutely ridiculous how hard it is to find a group on here. Almost NOBODY is interested in playing in my adventures. At most two people. And I've put so much work into building it, it feels like the $40 for this application has gone down the toilet. Maps, history, NPCs... All of it shelved.

Try to sign up here:

https://www.adventuresomedreams.com

I am sure you will find a group at AD :) and a friendly bunch of people

[Snikle]

I have had no trouble at all, started with two people I knew previously, and since then found 2 more player from the forums here and just had another one ask to join for the next game (a friend of one forum guys), all that is over a period of about 6 weeks I think.

[Alkaven]

Try to sign up here:

https://www.adventuresomedreams.com

I am sure you will find a group at AD :) and a friendly bunch of people

I did a couple weeks ago. Still nothing. I'm not even getting feedback on why. If you go there now, you can still see my adventure post there rotting in the game locator forum.

All I can guess is that it's a time-zone issue or something. Like this is absolutely horrid. There are just simply not enough players around.

[Snikle]

Thats really weird, maybe I stole your prospective players since I am in the same timezone...?

[Alkaven]

No, I don't think so. Although I did take the time to research and find out if so. You have a website which provides great detail on the world your using, and you have several players, but I don't believe that's it.

There's been 320 views of my game post. I have 5 posts in it, and I gather there's roughly as many views per post on average, plus my constant viewing to find nothing which could be 50 times right now.

320 - 50 = 270 / 5 = 54...

So 54 people have probably looked at it and do not want to play for some reason or another. Now there were two players interested in it earlier so that reduces the number to 52. Those two players didn't show. There was a third player who showed interest just recently, so that reduces the number to 51. And since I usually put my estimates within 20% boundries, that makes the minimum 41.

So I'm guessing at LEAST 40 people other than myself looked at my topic. That must mean that 40 people do not like the house rules I'm using. Here's a few of my suspicions which was feedback from my previous sessions:


Nobody can commit to a game where encounters are cancelled in the event one person doesn't show.
There are too many qualifications and limitations, such as no supplement material.
It is not a published world like Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance.


Honestly, those three things are uncorrectable. I don't run encounters if someone is absent because they are absolutely important unless they are seperated from the party. I have all those qualifications and limitations because I want people who are capable roleplayers, not powergamers, even in the slightest. I'm not using a published world because I've done so much work on my own, I'd rather use it instead.

[SalmonElla]

Alkaven,
I see your frustration in not finding players. I have had the same problem and have had to recruit from work. The first bit of feedback "Nobody can commit to a game where encounters are cancelled in the event one person doesn't show" is very valid, especially in an online game. Setting aside a time block just to have it trashed if johnny X doesnt decide to show because Bab 5 is showing or an emergency is not viable. If one of your core players drops from the campaign it would seem that your entire campaign would fold given the restrictions. Drop that requirement and deal with the inevitability that players will miss sessions and you will most likely get some more hits. When I was looking for a game I saw your post but that one line was enough to deter me.
--SE

[Alkaven]

Alkaven,
I see your frustration in not finding players. I have had the same problem and have had to recruit from work. The first bit of feedback "Nobody can commit to a game where encounters are cancelled in the event one person doesn't show" is very valid, especially in an online game. Setting aside a time block just to have it trashed if johnny X doesnt decide to show because Bab 5 is showing or an emergency is not viable. If one of your core players drops from the campaign it would seem that your entire campaign would fold given the restrictions. Drop that requirement and deal with the inevitability that players will miss sessions and you will most likely get some more hits. When I was looking for a game I saw your post but that one line was enough to deter me.
--SE

*nods* But that's why I don't run campaigns anymore. I run adventures. Campaigns are alot of commit to. Someone might indeed decide to quit and disappear. That's unavoidable. And I don't run them simply because a quitting player who plays such a crucial role in the ENTIRE campaign suddenly mucks it all up.

Adventures span approximately 5-10 sessions depending on the scope of them. That's not alot to commit to twice a week, especially when rescheduling options are always available at the end of each session. And in the event someone doesn't show, it just means there will be a chance to roleplay, even with the NPCs.

Consider the scenario where someone doesn't show up. The next encounter features Lothalas (NPC) the dark priest, Kalatar (PC) the Paladin's nemesis. If Kalatar showed up, he'd warn his comrades to be careful, Lothalas knows one spell that could throw them all off guard. If Kalatar didn't show up and I have to think of an in-game reason he's not there, Lothalas uses his spell, whole party dies.

That's just one scenario too. Kalatar might DO something in that situation. But if he doesn't show, then that something doesn't happen, and the encounter is just a big waste, utterly boring, and nobody has a clue what's going on. I used to still run when someone was absent, but it only makes the adventure less and less interesting for everyone, and eventually people stop trying to make it.

ALSO, I listed two days of a week to play in anticipation that someone cannot make a session. That way there is a session at least once a week. The only limitation is that you cannot be consistently absent.

[Ram Tyr]

/grabs thread back from the hijackers.

:)


I play entirely with folks I met online.


(Just to be helpful and to make certain that nobody feels like I'm being cruel and uncaring :) , Alkaven has a thread here (https://forums.fantasygrounds.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1065) where it seems he would appreciate comments on why folks aren't signing up for his campaign.)

Later.
Ramza

[LordTomar]

Nobody can commit to a game where encounters are cancelled in the event one person doesn't show.
There are too many qualifications and limitations, such as no supplement material.
It is not a published world like Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance.



When I was looking for a game I saw and considered yours as one I might want to join. The problem I had is that it seemed like there was far too many requirements to play in your game.

My biggest problem with your game was that you wanted to play 2x per week but if you missed 2 sessions you were going to be kicked out (you changed this in your recent revisions). I know you had your reasons for this, but I was unwilling to join a game that played so often but if something comes up and i had to miss a couple sessions and was dropped.

Also you seemed like you required your players to stay in character at all times. I dont know sometimes I just want to mess around wiht another PC, and sometimes it in a way that my character wouldnt act normaly. Like in my game last night I was just messing around and asking the dwarf to do somethings that were really bad ideas, like step on pressure plates that we had no idea what they did. This wouldnt be what my character would normaly do as hes normaly a little more serious, but I was just having fun.

You have to rememberm, playing D&D is for entertainment, and some people just want to have fun and not have too many requirements to play durring their free time.


/grabs thread back from the hijackers.

:)


I play entirely with folks I met online.


Ohh yeah and i play wiht people I have never met before untill the FG forums.

[Snikle]

I am not getting a warm fuzzy here. This is how I started recently:
I already had two players form a previous campaign lined up to play.
I simply said I was running a campaign, started with those two players and got a time that worked for us three.
I was contacted via the forums here about wanting to play after I merely mentioned on the forums I was thinking of running a game at the specified time (least I think that was how it happened, maybe dwight can verify).
After that another player contacted me wanting to play.

When I first look at a new player, I perform a sort of interview. I ask about the person, married, kids, in school, work, etc? I like to do this over IM. Gives em a feel for the person. I ask about gaming experience, what sort of games they like, what their favorite characters are, etc. This gives me a feel for what type of player they are. If I feel they would contribute to the game, are decent people, and my type of gamer, they are in. Simple.

I do not place strict rules like you have done on the game, sure I like all the players to be there, and I do not have a problem with players not showing. I have one now that does, but I know why it is (computer issues) and he and I have spoken about it. I think in my games it is sort of understood that you will make a effort to be there, the game is always 830pm MST on everyother Thursday, you feel you cannot make every game, then you shouldnt play. A game here and there, I fully understand, heck I may have to cancel one here and there because my job has me travel out of the US occassionally, but my players will know about it ahead of time.

"If one of your core players drops from the campaign it would seem that your entire campaign would fold given the restrictions" I too think this is what is killing allot of people. I realize that the game is NOT the most important thing in life, and if someone has to miss for a good reason (ie not Babylon 5 is on), I fully understand, but I think that may be where I differ from allot DMs. I have a very free flowing DMing style and do not spend hours preparring my adventures. My maps are where I spend all my time, beyond that, I go into the game with a rough idea or outline of what will happen (usually in my head), so if player X is missing, I could easily figure a work around for that night's game. One of my players remarked that I "Dm on the fly" after a game one night when I told him previous in private that I had absolutely nothing planned for the night and was going to wing it. It turned out a great session and he was stunned that I could pull it off with little or no planning.

Anyway, I think you should step back and reassess why you are playing. I play to have fun, and I look for players that are there for that reason too. For me, this seems to work and we seem to end up awesome campaigns, but hey, maybe I am just lucky.

[LordTomar]

I am not getting a warm fuzzy here. This is how I started recently:
I already had two players form a previous campaign lined up to play.
I simply said I was running a campaign, started with those two players and got a time that worked for us three.
I was contacted via the forums here about wanting to play after I merely mentioned on the forums I was thinking of running a game at the specified time (least I think that was how it happened, maybe dwight can verify).


I posted on the FG forum about looking for a game the day I bought the program and you contacted me through PM. I replied as soon as I got the message and then like 3 days later I sent you an e-mail because you hadnt responded to me yet. Then after you got back to me we started talking on IM about the game.

[Alkaven]

Alright, the In Character At All Times thing isn't really something I expected. I just expected roleplay. You can talk out of character when you want.

The idea is for everyone to enjoy the game, and I make that a policy. The limits I have there are no different from most limits in any other game. Some people want political roleplay, some people want hack and slash. While ideally the point is to have fun, it's not fun when one player decides to be a jerk and do something that doesn't make any sense at all (which is why alignments exist).

And I did say consistently. If you miss two days and have a good reason, that's understandable. Lots of things go wrong last minute. The two day thing is there because you have a better chance knowing whether or not you can make it within 4 days than you do within 7. Think of the 2nd day like a buffer. If you can't make it, say so at the end of the session, and we'll postpone until the next. That way we don't have sessions that never happen until next month.

So relax... My rules aren't that restrictive... I just want EVERYONE to have fun... Not have someone ruin it for everyone else.

[ashman]

I currently dm a group that i've known for a few years online. We're all EQ players that missed PnP RPG's and were for the most part all old fans of DND at somepoint.

In our current game I try to roleplay the npcs and monsters as much as i can but we really are a roleplaying lite group.
combat tends to be very mechanical but when i ask for feedback from the group as to wanting me to focus more on roleplaying and story, more in character ect. they all seem so far quite happy with the pace of things as is,so i'm content to go with what makes em happy since i'm just happy actually playing dnd.

I think part of it is that we're all mid 30's now and sitting on the pc on voice chat trying to stay incharacter is rather hard for us.chat text is much easier tho.

Personally i'm abit intimated by the idea of playing in a serious game like Alkaven's.
In that I don't know if i could live up to the expectation of really rollplaying a character that deeply and consistantly.

Casual games that have less expectations other then be nice and have fun are more what i'm looking for as a player.

[Ilwan]

Thanks for your participation so far. This has been very informative

[Alkaven]

Some people didn't read my post thoroughly it seems. I'm very sorry that the majority of players here tend to be that way. I never implied that my game was at all serious and I don't even recall stating that I wanted people in character at all times.

There's hardly any expectations to live up to. I've been in so many games now, I know what to expect. I generally do not want players who are going to consistently goof off all the time. It's kinda odd when Egrock the wizard decides "I hit u". You hit who? "The elf dood" Why? "Just cuz" But he didn't do anything. "Ur stupid"

That's not fun... That's annoying... I can't see why you guys don't share that feeling.

And that's just one example. Honestly, even the attendence thing isn't too hard to live up to either. That's why I don't run campaigns anymore. Campaigns die. They do. Ongoing means ongoing until people quit. I like some closure to a grand adventure. It shouldn't be hard to attend sessions for just one adventure. Just one. And if your absent a few times, that's fine. Just e-mail ahead of time, and we can reschedule.

It's ridiculous how you guys have taken the things in my post of which most of you all apply to your own games as common sense and completely blown it out of preportion. I mean, you can't have a game otherwise without it falling apart. I've seen it done a hundred times now.

[Ilwan]

Some people didn't read my post thoroughly it seems. I'm very sorry that the majority of players here tend to be that way. I never implied that my game was at all serious and I don't even recall stating that I wanted people in character at all times.

There's hardly any expectations to live up to. I've been in so many games now, I know what to expect. I generally do not want players who are going to consistently goof off all the time. It's kinda odd when Egrock the wizard decides "I hit u". You hit who? "The elf dood" Why? "Just cuz" But he didn't do anything. "Ur stupid"

That's not fun... That's annoying... I can't see why you guys don't share that feeling.

And that's just one example. Honestly, even the attendence thing isn't too hard to live up to either. That's why I don't run campaigns anymore. Campaigns die. They do. Ongoing means ongoing until people quit. I like some closure to a grand adventure. It shouldn't be hard to attend sessions for just one adventure. Just one. And if your absent a few times, that's fine. Just e-mail ahead of time, and we can reschedule.

It's ridiculous how you guys have taken the things in my post of which most of you all apply to your own games as common sense and completely blown it out of preportion. I mean, you can't have a game otherwise without it falling apart. I've seen it done a hundred times now.

I definatly think you have a point. In an anonymous society, like the internet I have experienced similar scenarios like you describe them. In a virtual society like this is, people come and go as it pleases them. Its so easy just to stay away, cuz you dont have to look people in the eyes.

Having said that, I still believe there is hoap, but it will take some effort from all sides. Just by announcing a game, you can expect all kinds of people /players and it will be a gamble if they share the same gaming style / expectations as you. I think it takes some time and participation to get the right people around you.

If I may share my own experience. I have been a active member and contributer to the Adventuresome Dreams for about 8 months or so. I talk with people, share ideas and get inspired by them. As for now I seem I know many of the people in there quiet well and count them as friends. If I would announce a game over there, I would know my players in some way. If I would participate in someone elses game, I would choose from what I know of the people, their reliability etc.

Even if I have known a online contact who disappeared from one day to the other after talking to him on daily basis for 4 1/2 years, I still believe that it is possible, it just takes alot of effort (but that giving in many ways and worth it). I am not saying that you dont have this effort, but I think you give up on "us" too quickly.

Take part in www.adventuresomedreams.com
There are alot of good trustworthy folks and I am sure some of them share your beliefs of gaming, but U might first need to get to know them.

Its a jungle I know, but with a cutlass you will find your way somehow.

[Alkaven]

Not that it matters since I'm already running but... I still haven't gotten a reply from my post on that site.

[Ilwan]

The post is from september, where alot of games where going on or started. You made one post on the AD boards so far. "Patience is the mother of the porcelain box" as we say in german.